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Former Democratic Rep. Dan Maffei has wasted no time in collecting campaign cash for his 2012 re-match against the Republican who ousted him last fall, Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle, raising just over $200,000 since he formally announced his candidacy in August. He now has $287,774 on hand.

Although Buerkle has picked up the pace of her fundraising since her weak first-quarter showing, but not by much.

The freshman lawmaker reported bringing in just $65,150 back in April, but said she was “taking a break” from the hunt for dollars after winning her hard-fought, prolonged and very expensive battle against Maffei. She then stepped up her game during the second quarter, bringing in $121,493. This time, she reported raising $89,033 and now has $247,089 on hand.

Buerkle spent $47,007 over the past three months and is still carrying $27,331 worth of campaign debt.

A second Democrat, Brianne Murphy, had been exploring a run against Buerkle next fall. While the FEC lists her as a candidate, she has yet to file a fundraising report.

Buerkle is increasingly mentioned as a potential sacrificial lamb for the Republicans when it comes to eliminating one of the two House seats New York will lose in the next round of redistricting – particularly since GOP Rep. Bob Turner’s surprise win in the NY-9 special election.

The conventional wisdom at this point is that one seat will have to come out of downstate and another will be axed upstate, which could force some interesting primaries or even a general election challenge if a Republican and adjacent Democrat are pushed together.

NOTE: Thanks to the fabulous Bill Carey, of YNN Syracuse, for bringing these numbers to my attention.

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